Rally Portugal – SS1: Evans takes the lead ahead of Ogier and Tänak

Elfyn Evans began his Rally Portugal got off to a good start by setting the fastest time in the first special stage. SS1, just under three kilometers long, was held on asphalt, partly in a large parking lot in Figueira da Foz, where spectators gathered in the stands were able to witness some nice donuts from the drivers to get around the cones provided for this purpose.

In this game, the pilot Toyota was the fastest in a session more intended to put on a show for the fans than to open up early gaps. The Welshman set the fastest time by just 0 seconds ahead of a tied duo of Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) and Ott Tänak (Hyundai). Adrien fourmaux took fourth place, but the gaps are quite anecdotal since less than two seconds separate Elfyn Evans from his teammate Takamoto Katsuta, 7th.

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On the other hand, Martins Sesks, the fastest driver in the Shakedown on Thursday morning, conceded five seconds to the Welshman, the first leader of the 2025 Rally de Portugal. However, there is nothing alarming for the Latvian, who, like the other drivers, will return to the Portuguese dirt roads from SS2. In WRC2, the best time went to Briton Gus Greensmith, 0 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel's Citroën.

Friday will see the drivers have a long day ahead, with ten special stages on the programme. Elfyn Evans (Toyota) will start in first place, as the drivers will follow the championship order. His teammate Kalle Rovanperä, the resounding winner in the Canary Islands, will start second ahead of the reigning champion. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). On the French side, Sébastien Ogier will start 4th and Adrien Fourmaux 6th. All of the weekend's special stages will be available to follow with live commentary on AUTOhebdo.fr.

ALSO READ > The 2025 Rally Portugal program

WRC – Rally Portugal 

The classification of SS1